Describe The Social Issue Background, Purpose, And Focus Of

Describe The Social Issue Background Purpose And Focus Of Y

Describe the social issue, background, purpose, and focus of your social campaign. Briefly identify the social issue, sometimes referred to as the “wicked problem,” your plan will be addressing (e.g., tobacco use, air pollution, water contamination, literacy, homelessness, etc.).

Identify any sponsoring organizations you plan to collaborate with in developing and implementing your campaign. These may be local or national organizations.

Summarize key background information leading to the development of this plan, ideally using reliable statistics (e.g., percent of unplanned teen pregnancies).

What is the campaign purpose, the intended impact (e.g., reduced teen pregnancies by 25% by 2020)?

What is the campaign focus, the approach you will be using to contribute to your plan’s purpose? Areas of focus may be behavior-related, population-related, or product-related strategies.

Paper For Above instruction

The social issue I have chosen to address in my campaign is youth mental health awareness, a pressing concern affecting millions of adolescents globally. Mental health challenges such as depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation have seen a significant rise among young people over the past decade, exacerbated by factors like social media use, academic pressures, and the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the World Health Organization (2019), approximately 10-20% of adolescents globally experience mental health conditions, yet stigma and lack of awareness often hinder early intervention and support. This campaign aims to reduce the stigma surrounding youth mental health issues, improve access to resources, and promote early help-seeking behaviors among adolescents.

In collaboration with local organizations such as the Youth Mental Health Alliance and national bodies like the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the campaign seeks to leverage partnerships for broader outreach and resource mobilization. These organizations have established credibility and extensive networks that will facilitate community engagement and dissemination of mental health information.

The background leading to this campaign's development highlights the alarming rise in youth mental health disorders recognized through increased hospitalization rates, school absenteeism, and suicide statistics. For instance, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2021) reports that suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents aged 10-19 in the United States. Factors such as social isolation, academic stress, and familial instability contribute significantly to this trend. Data from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH, 2020) indicates that approximately 3 million adolescents in the U.S. experience major depressive episodes each year, underscoring the urgent need for preventative efforts.

The purpose of this campaign is to foster a community environment where mental health is openly discussed, and resources for assistance are readily accessible, with the goal of decreasing adolescent suicide rates and improving overall well-being. The targeted impact is to increase awareness and help-seeking behaviors by 30% among teenagers in the target regions within two years.

The focus of the campaign will be behavior-related strategies, including school-based educational programs, social media campaigns to de-stigmatize mental health issues, and peer support initiatives. Additionally, population-focused efforts will target vulnerable groups, such as LGBTQ+ youth and those from low-income families, who are disproportionately affected by mental health challenges. The approach combines digital outreach, community engagement, and school collaborations to create a comprehensive mental health promotion framework.

References

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021). Youth Suicide Risk & Protective Factors. CDC.
• National Institute of Mental Health. (2020). Major Depression (Depressive Disorder). NIMH.
• World Health Organization. (2019). Adolescent mental health. WHO.
• Steinberg, L. (2014). Age of Opportunity: Lessons from the New Science of Adolescence. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
• Kann, L., et al. (2018). Youth Risk Behavior Survey — United States, 2017. MMWR. Surveillance Summaries, 67(SS-3), 1-114.
• Gibbs, L., et al. (2016). The impact of social media on youth mental health: A systematic review. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology.
• Jones, S. (2018). Addressing stigma in youth mental health: Strategies and challenges. Journal of Youth and Adolescence.
• Cook, J. E., & Artino, A. R. (2016). Motivation to learn: an overview of contemporary theories. Medical Education.
• Brunton, B., & Murdoch, A. (2019). Community-based mental health interventions for youth. Journal of Community Psychology.
• Patel, V., et al. (2018). The mental health gap action programme (mhGAP): scaling up care for mental, neurological, and substance use disorders. World Psychiatry.